There's a reason the Cavaliers small forward wants to start anew: His 2011-12 season was awful.

"We had a long talk after the season, and he was very disappointed in the way he played," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "I know he's a much better basketball player than that, so I'm expecting him to come back and play much better this year.

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"Now with another year under his belt, he has a better understanding of what we're trying to do on both ends of the court. I think that will help him as well."

The Cavs traded forward/center J.J. Hickson to the Kings on June 30, 2011, in exchange for Casspi and a conditional draft pick. Fans were enthused when Casspi won the starting job at small forward.

But as the season wore on, he played himself out of the starting lineup. Alonzo Gee eventually replaced Casspi as the starter at the "3" spot.

Free-agent acquisition C.J. Miles, a slick-shooting swingman, appears to have locked up a starting job at small forward or shooting guard. If Miles starts at small forward, as expected, that would leave Gee in a backup role. That might not leave a lot of minutes for Casspi.

However, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Casspi has performed well in the preseason. He's averaging 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in three preseason games. He's shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

"I told you guys that I was disappointed (with last season)," Casspi said. "My point is now it's a new start. Hopefully, (it's) a fresh start.

"I don't want to talk about last year anymore. I've been in the mud for a long time, and I don't want to talk about it anymore. It's a clean start, a fresh start."

Casspi will earn about $2.3 million this season. He'll be a restricted free agent this summer.

He was looking for a fresh start last year, as well, after falling out of favor with the Kings.

The bottom line was he didn't make shots with any consistency last season. He shot a career-low 40.3 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from the 3-point line. He averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds.

The Cavs (3-2) liked his length and ability to run the floor. His defense was also lacking in 2011-12.

Casspi was one of the stars of the game in Monday's 114-111 victory over Orlando. He scored seven of his preseason-high 12 points in overtime.

Casspi hopes to carry that feeling into Wednesday's 7 p.m. preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center against the host Philadelphia 76ers. It will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Casspi injured his knee in the 2011 offseason. Even though everyone tried to downplay the news, it undoubtedly had an effect on his season.

"My knee bothered me for a big part of the season," he said. "I had to get my legs stronger."

Casspi said he worked on his ballhandling and shooting last summer.

"My percentage (dropped) last year," he said. "I had to get it up.

"It's my responsibility to go out there and play. Last year was last year."

Part of his problem last year was his mental approach. He seemed to lose confidence as the season wore on.

"I lost a lot of confidence last year," Casspi said. "I wasn't playing like myself. I wasn't myself. (Playing on the Israeli national team last summer) gave me a lot of confidence. Now it's time to bring it here to the court."

He said he's focused mentally and physically.

"My body feels good," Casspi said. "I'm where I need to be with my body. I think I'm on the right page mentally as well."